Since 1985, the lawyers at Shapiro & Appleton have dedicated their practice to helping people when they need it most. Our clients are usually down and out after a serious accident, struggling financially, physically, and emotionally. We take pride in advocating for the downtrodden and injured and getting the financial restitution they are owed.

One of the most effective ways to choose a top-notch attorney is by reviewing their professional accolades and awards. Independent, third-party organizations bestow these recognitions and distinctions and symbolize a level of excellence in the profession.

We are very proud of the success we have had in obtaining large settlements, arbitration awards, judgments, and jury verdicts. Our success is based mainly on our experience in courtrooms across Virginia.

Featuring breaking news stories in Virginia, North Caroling and nationwide. Our news stories about accidents, events, injuries, and lawsuits are researched and published by our team of experienced personal injury attorneys and could help you learn more about your personal injury case.

One of the best ways to gauge the quality of a personal injury law firm is the feedback from prior clients. The reviews and testimonials on this page are authentic and unfiltered. We are proud to have served so many people who needed help during a difficult time.

By adapting and being familiar with not only Virginia and North Carolina Courts, but also Courts throughout the Eastern United States, our attorneys have developed a set of skills that can be incredibly useful in every sort of significant personal injury case.

The attorneys with our firm actively engage in continuing legal education seminars in the field of injury law. Our lawyers have also regularly delivered lectures to personal injury lawyers not only in Virginia but at national trial organizations.

To stay on the leading edge of personal injury law, all of the firm's attorneys are active in local, state, and national personal injury trial law organizations. We also retain the services of forensic animators, videographers, and computer specialists to produce compelling evidence that will persuade a jury to award maximum damages.

Devastating Effect of Brain Injuries

One of the most devastating injuries an accident victim can sustain is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The injury itself can have irreversible and life-long effects. There can be mood alterations, resulting in either reduction in motivation or an increase in aggression. There can also be damage to a person’s cognitive capacity, such as the inability to make decisions. Recognizing appropriate and inappropriate social behavior may also be affected.

Researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto interviewed 111 men, between the ages of 27 to 81 years of age, who were staying at a local homeless shelter. The definition the study used for homelessness was “living at a shelter within the last seven days and not having a home of one’s own.”

Although the men were randomly chosen, there were criteria they needed to meet in order to participate. They had to be able to speak English; they had to be able to give their consent to participate; they could not have any severe mental illness which would pose a safety risk for the researchers. The study team did find that the majority of the participants had issues with chronic alcoholism.

In the survey, participants were given 19 scenarios where they could have received an injury to their head and asked if they had ever experienced any of these situations. If they had, the researcher conducting the interview determined if they became confused or lost consciousness with each injury. Situations included:

Vehicle accidents;

Sports or recreation injuries;

Assaults;

Struck by a vehicle as a pedestrian;

Alcohol or drug blackouts;

Falls;

Fainting; and

Struck by an object or against an object.

The second part of the survey was a screening for effects on cognitive, physical and emotional abilities and how often these symptoms occur. The third part asked questions about other conditions which may also affect those abilities.

Just under half of those interviewed had been diagnosed at one time with a TBI. Almost 75 percent of those men had received their first brain injury before the age of 18. Approximately 87 percent said they suffered their first brain injury before they were homeless. Forty-two percent of participants had sustained their first brain injury in a car accident.

In a statement, the lead researcher wrote, “You could see how it would happen. You have a concussion, and you can’t concentrate or focus. Their thinking abilities and personalities change. They can’t manage at work, and they may lose their job, and eventually, lose their families. And then it’s a negative spiral.”